This invention relates to a burst-proof pack.
The safe and cost effective management of wounds in hospitals and clinics is currently a priority. To this end, sterile blister packs containing dry dressings, swabs, bandages, needles, sutures and the like in a blister tray are typically used in operative and post-operative procedures. More often than not, there is considerable wastage due to the fact that not all of the contents of the sterile blister trays are utilized. Further, the blister trays themselves are relatively bulky, and contain a relatively high proportion of unused space.
Dry swabs are typically housed in a separate sterile pack. In a hospital environment several steps are required before such swabs can be used. A concentrated self-sterilizing or disinfecting solution is decanted and diluted, after which it is dispensed into a sterile pour bottle. The diluted solution is then dispensed into a separate steritized intermediate container. The sterile pack containing the dry swabs is opened and the dry swabs are similarly dispensed into the intermediate container, after which they can be used in a particular procedure.
The steps described above are relatively time consuming, carry associated risks of infection, and utilize at least three, if not four separate containers which need to be sterilized. Further, both swabs and disinfectant are usually wasted.
The transportation and handling of sterile packs may be problematic, in that there is usually some incidence of rupturing or bursting. This is due to the fact that an increase in pressure within the pack due to an increase in temperature or altitude will cause the pack to swell, thereby stressing the seal between the blister tray and the web covering the tray, which may in turn lead to the rupturing of the seal and leakage or contamination of the contents of the sterile pack.